How to prune branches of peony flowers
This article introduces the pruning methods for peony flowers and related introductions of green plants and flowers. Detailed introduction is as follows:
1 General requirements
When pruning peonies, usually follow their natural growth, maintaining the natural shape with slight artificial intervention. Every year, retain an appropriate number of lateral branches on the main branches, which should be refined and not excessive. The number of branches should not be too many, as this would disperse nutrients and result in poor flowering. When thinning branches, follow the "remove the middle one when three branches meet" rule. Additionally, avoid overlapping branches and cut off the overlapping parts to maintain an even and beautiful shape the following year.
In peony pruning, we often refer to the process as "washing the feet" of the peony. "Washing the feet" refers to removing the suckers from the base of the peony plant, which is part of the desuckering process. This prevents the suckers from diverting nutrients, affecting the plant shape and ventilation. It is important to retain some useful basal buds for the renewal of old branches. Peony foot washing usually occurs in spring, sometimes in winter.
2 Pruning principles
There is a pruning principle for peonies: "grow one foot and retreat eight inches." This means that only the third or fourth axillary buds differentiate during the growth of peonies, and the upper part will gradually wither. Therefore, when determining the actual growth of peonies in a year, the part above the top bud that has withered is the "eight inches" that has retreated, and the part below the bud to the branch attachment point is the actual growth.
If pruning in winter, and the spring temperatures are low with strong winds (such as in Beijing), you can retain two inches of lignified wood starting from the first top bud downward. Retaining some lignified parts or leaf stalks is beneficial for protecting the buds.
3 Pruning steps
In peony pruning, the basic steps should be "one to observe, two to turn, three to cut, and four to check."
When starting to prune peonies, first remove all dead, diseased, weak branches, and residual flowers and leaves. Using the "grow one foot and retreat eight inches" method, handle the peony flower buds and branches. Next, remove the dense branches. Dense branches can disperse nutrients, and limited nutrients should be used for a small number of buds when flowering, preparing for the quality of bud differentiation in the following year. Follow the "remove the middle when three meet" principle, that is, when multiple branches are dense at a branching point, keep the strong ones and remove 1-2 of them to ensure the overall shape of the peony and the quality of the remaining branches. Then, cut off all crossing branches and dense small branches, leaving the outer oblique branches, "keeping the curved and removing the straight," to maintain the overall shape of the peony. Finally, clear the basal suckers.
How to prune branches of peony flowers
If pruning in spring, it should start in the second year after transplanting, depending on local climatic characteristics, usually around late March when the young buds grow to about 5cm. Pruning too early will not show obvious growth of young branches, making it difficult to remove the weak ones and retain the strong ones, and it is also easily affected by low temperatures. Pruning too late means that the buds on the new branches have lignified and will consume nutrients during leaf growth and development. Therefore, choosing the right climate and timing for pruning is important.
First, cut off the remaining flower peduncles, withered tips, and leaves on the peony branches, and clear the soil and debris from the root neck. Then, based on the size of the plant, variety, cultivation purpose, and growth duration, select 7-8 or 11-12 evenly distributed and robust branches, and cut off the rest. At the same time, cut off the dead and diseased branches. Then, proceed with the "washing the feet" of the peony, using the same method as mentioned earlier.
To make the peony flowers large and colorful, thinning and removing buds are also necessary. In early spring, only retain 1-2 strong and plump buds on each selected branch, removing other buds and adventitious buds on old branches. For varieties with strong growth, branching ability, and flowering rate, you should consider leaving 1-2 more buds on each branch to promote growth and flowering, increasing the number of flowers and slightly extending the flowering period.
When retaining buds, choose the lateral buds of the branch, with the cut 1-1.5cm away from the bud. Too far can form a dry桩, affecting the beauty of the plant shape; too close can affect the growth and flowering of the bud. To minimize the wound and heal quickly, a flat cut is generally chosen.
During the peony bud stage, a review should be conducted, and any branches without flowers or unable to bloom should be cut accordingly to集中 nutrients for the growth and flowering of flowering branches.
Pruning and shaping peonies is of great significance for the growth and development of peony plants. In addition to the precautions mentioned in the steps, it should be clear that dense branches should not be retained, and pruning should be bold. Retaining more open and outward branches is more beneficial for improving their nutrient distribution and ornamental value.
Have you understood the detailed introduction of how to prune branches of peony flowers and their pruning method illustrations shared in this article?